How to Organize a Beer Pong Tournament

Beer pong is a game that is popular among college students. Line up 10 cups of beer, like bowling pins, on each end of a table. Teams of two, play against each other, trying to throw a ping pong ball into the other team's cups. When someone makes a ball into one of their opponent's cups, a member of the opposing team has to chug that beer.

Instructions

1. Talk to local bars to see if you can organize a tournament there. This works especially well if you live in a college town; so make sure the bar you ask if frequented by people in their early to mid twenties. It's to the owner's advantage, since the increased number of people will more than likely buy drinks while they're there (beer pong is a spectator sport).

2. Pick a date and time for the tournament. Figure out an entry fee, just a few dollars, so you can give a cash prize to the winners. Hang up signs advertising the tournament.

3. Circulate a sign-up sheet for anyone interested in playing. You can do this before the night of the game, or you can do it an hour before the scheduled starting time of the tournament. It's a good idea to do it early enough so you can make a player's bracket. Double elimination is a good way to organize the teams in the tournament.

4. Set up the appropriate amount of ping pong tables before the games start. This all depends on how many teams you have signed up. Alternatively, you can use pool tables covered with a tarp, although many bar owners don't really like doing that.

5. Fill 10 cups of beer for each side of each table using red "party cups." Tell each team when it's their turn to play. Keep track of your bracket as the tournament goes on; do this on paper as well as on a white board so the players can see where they stand.

6. Pay the winners when the tournament is over. You'll have to calculate how much money it cost to provide the beer, and take a small cut to pay yourself for your time. Perhaps giving money to the top two or three teams is most appropriate.

Tips & Warnings

• Chugging large amounts of beer, such as the losing team(s) would be doing, can result in getting very drunk, very quickly. If you're providing the beer, be prepared to also provide a cab ride to those in need.

• Verify that all tournament participants are of drinking age. Since you're providing the beer, you take responsibility if you give alcohol to someone underage. Although bar personnel probably already card everyone who enters, it's still not a bad idea to do it again when they sign up.